THE TEACHING OF ETHICS IN DENTISTRY COURSES IN PERNAMBUCO

Abstract

The Resolution of the National Council of Education (CNE) / Chamber of Higher Education (CES) No. 3/2021 from the Ministry of Education (MEC), which established the National Curricular Guidelines for undergraduate courses in dentistry, mentions that future dentists must be familiar with and respect the Dental Code of Ethics, as well as laws, ordinances, and regulations regarding oral health. In light of this, this study aimed to identify the main characteristics of professional ethics education in the curriculum of dentistry courses in Pernambuco. It is a descriptive study, conducted through a quantitative documentary research in a sample composed of 22 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that offered dentistry courses and were active in the MEC Registry. Data collection took place in the first fortnight of May 2024, and the information was analyzed using Excel and SPSS software. The main results indicate that the curricula of the surveyed courses have a high degree of similarity concerning the mode of delivery, pedagogical approach, and absence of prerequisites for taking the Ethics course. On the other hand, they showed a lower degree of similarity regarding the volume and type of workload, classification of curricular components, and the names used for ethics courses. Finally, it is hoped that the findings of this research may provoke reflections on the training of future dentists, with impacts on the improvement of education, as it addresses a fundamental theme in the curriculum of any undergraduate and postgraduate course.